A wireless communication network includes a plurality of access points or access nodes. An access node can be shared by two or more network operators, or an access node can be controlled by a single network operator, for example, as a dedicated access node.
A wireless device of a first network operator can detect signals from an access node controlled by a second network operator, and yet be denied access to the network through the access node controlled by the second network operator. For example, a wireless device of the first network operator can be in communication with a first access node under the shared control of a first network operator and a second network operator, and can detect a carrier signal from a second access node under the control of only the second network operator. While the carrier signal may be strong enough for the second access node to be a candidate to provide communication to the wireless device, when the wireless device of the first network operator requests to perform a handover to the second access node, the wireless device may be denied access to a communication system through the second access node, for example, because the wireless device is not authorized to access a network of the second network operator. When the wireless device tries repeatedly to request a handover to the second access node, a battery level of the wireless device can be drained rapidly while the wireless device is denied access to the communication network of the second network operator through the second access node.
Overview
In an embodiment, a first request is received for a performance of a handover of a wireless device from a first access node shared by a first network operator and a second network operator to a second access node controlled only by the second network operator. A rejection response is sent preventing the execution of the handover, and a handover prevention value is set to prevent the sending of a second request for the performance of a handover of the wireless device from the first access node to the second access node.